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Topic 2 - Continued

Family Ties!
Messages from relations and descendants of previous village inhabitants looking to share their knowledge or trace family members.
 

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Subject: Alford family. From: Annabelle

message - 07/09/2002 - Hello,
I am decended from the Alfords of High Bickington and just want to say what a great job you are doing.I can't understand why its taken me so long to hone in on you.My branch of Alfords left High Bickington after the death of both parents in 1849. Margaret nee Turner, died of Cholera.I wonder if they had any other deaths from it that year.?I still live in Devon and have quite an extensive Alford tree.Other names connected,but not researched are HILL,TURNER,AND COOKE.I am particularly interested in the HILL posting as my Elizabeth and his Ann could be sisters.If you are still around do contact me.

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Subject: Alford Family. From: Sue - 18/04/2005

Hi annabella,
I've just found the site for High Bickington, and your posting about the alford family.
I have a Joan Alford in mine, (born 1795 Bishops Tawnton? ) her father was George Alford, (witness on marrige certificate ) who I believe was from High Bickington, I still don't have confirmation of the link though. Joan married a Richard Darch in 1815 at Bishops Tawton.
Is this part of your family also? If so, I'd love to be able to confirm the links to the Alfords from High Bickington, I also see that there were a couple of Darchs buried there, one, a Betsy Darch (aged 9) is definately part of my family.
Sue

Subject: Alford Family. From: Sue - 18/04/2005

Darch/Alford family,
I'm in the process of tracing back my family tree, but on my fathers side have come to a halt at a Richard Darch (.1795 Tawstock? ) He married a Joan Alford (b 1795 Bishops Tawton? )
From what I can gather ,her father George Alford (witness on wedding ) came from High Bickington, and possibly they moved to Bishops Tawton just before she was born? I'm surmising here.
There are a couple of Darchs buried here, and one of them is definately from my family, Betsey Darch aged 9, (b Newton Tracey 1816, d.Sept 1825 High Bickington).
I'm hoping that someone might have any information on either the Darch link, or conformation that the George Alford from High Bickington is in fact the father of a Joan Alford.In the 1851 census of Tawstock ,where Joan lived is another Alford, who'm I'm assuming is one of her brothers.
Again assumptions, but hoping for confirmation from someone who's already done this part of their family tree.
Well done for such an interesting and comprehensive site, I've pulled off more info on here than anywhere else in weeks.
thanks, Sue

Subject: Alford Family. From: Jackie Whitton - 23/03/2006

Hi annabella,
Although not related to the Alford family (well, I don't think so yet anyway!), I see that Sue replied to you on the Darch family connection.
I have a Bert Darch who married into the Denford family. I don't suppose that rings any bells with you?
My families, Cole, Denford and King all came from High Bickington, Rose Ash and Burrington from what I know, which is very little at this stage. I know the Denford family owned South Hele Farm and North Hele Farm.
Would love to hear from you.
Jackie x

Subject: Alford Family. From: Margie Alford - 11/03/2006

Hi,
I have a mortgage dated March 25 1831 of John Alford that has George Alford as the witness.
It is very large and is a great example of legal documents of the perod. It says John Alford of High Bickington.
Margie Alford

Subject: Alford Family. From: Margie Alford - 11/03/2006

Hi,
I have a legal document from March 25 1831 that is between John Alford and Cadwallader Edward's Palmer and Philip wilcocks. Alford was from High Bickington. If you have anyone who is studying any of the three let me know.
Margie Alford

Subject: Alford Family. From: Webmaster - 26/03/2006

Hi Margie,
The documents you have sound very interesting, would love to see a copy/transcript of them?
Webmaster

Subject: Alford Family. From: Sue - 13/09/2006

Hi Jackie and Margie,
Just come accross your replies to the Alford link here.
Jackie, I couldn't find a Bert Darch in my family tree, though it is a name that is in our family, in fact my father was named Bert, so maybe there is a link there somewhere.
Margie, I've just checked back again through my tree, and there's quite a few of my family that those documents could relate to, but you know what they were like ,all calling their heirs by the same names, I still get confused about them now.
The document with name name Wilcox on it also could link in, as one of my Darch relatives married a Urith wilcox .
My e-mail address is cannasue@aol.com, I'd love it if any one with any sort of info would get in touch on either the Darch's or the Alfords.
Sue

Subject: Alford Family. From: Debbi - 19/02/2007

Dear Michelle,
I have been doing research on Alfords for a long time.
Let me know which Alfords you are researching and I will see what I have for you.
Best Wishes
Debbi

http://www.debbiandfriends.org

My genealogy forum for helping people with their Devon ancestry

Subject: Robert and Rachel Payne. From: Margaret Wright

message - 29/09/2002 - Congratulations on your website.Its great!
During the lst two years or so I have been researching my family and have traced them back to High Bickington in the late 18th century. In the early stages I was kindly helped by Avril Stone whom we visited and then we attended her book launch.
I am attaching the piece I have written about my Great Great Grandfather Robert Payne who was a shoemaker and Baptist minister in the village. I am not sure about the value of it for you but there are references to other families and the social history of the time. His son Samuel, my great grandfather moved to Yeovil around 1870 where he ran a Pymouth Brethren School in Vicarage Street.
I hope it is of interest
 
Kind Regards
Margaret Wright

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Subject: Robert and Rachel Payne. From: Webmaster

Margaret has supplied a wonderful piece of research related to her family and High Bickington which we have pleasure in reproducing on site. Click Here to see this great piece of work.

Subject: Robert and Rachel Payne. From: Charles Cole - 16/11/2003

Hello, I am related to the Payne family and know a bit about them. My dousin, Mary Agnes Webber, married Henry Payne, here is a bit I wrote on the family, I also know of their descendants. Please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely, Charles Cole

MARY AGNES WEBBER
b. 1841 @ Burrington
m. 14.07.1868 @ Torrington
c. 02.10.1841 @ Burrington
d. 01.12.1875

Her great-grandaughter Winifred (Bunty) Burrows owns a ring which once belonged to her. She went out to Spain with her husband and 1869 and is believed to have died out there. The 1851 census records her as Mary Ann.

HENRY PAYNE
b. 1841/2 @ High Bickington
d. 05.03.1938 @ Vellator Terrace, Braunton
i. 09.03.1938 @ Braunton Cemetary

The son of Robert & Rachel Payne, Shoemaker of High Bickington. Henry was a Missionary with the Open Bretheren he is remembered for working in Barcelona, Spain and I (CHBC) have met several elders who, when young, recall him well preaching in the Gospel Hall’s around Devon when in his 90’s. Reports of his work are recorded in the magazines of "Echoes of Service" in Bath. After Mary’s death he remarried in 1878 and was widowed again in 1918. He had other family, viz: Rachel, Esther, Ben, and Mrs. Joseph Harvey - it is thought that they may be children of the 2nd wife as his father-in-law, John Webber, only mentions two children in his 1879 will, Harry and Samuel. His Funeral Card reads:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
HENRY PAYNE
of Barcelona, Spain.
Who departed to be with Christ the 5th March 1938 aged 96 years.
"In thy presence is fulness of joy."
Service 2.30 p.m at Gospel Hall, South Street, Braunton.
Interment Braunton Cemetery, March 9th, 1938.

A local paper wrote the following obituary:
NONAGENARIAN MISSIONARY
Death of Mr. H. Payne at Braunton.
Braunton has lost one of its oldest and most esteemed residents with the death of Mr. Henry Payne, who passed away at his residence at Vellator-terrace, Braunton, at the age of 96 years, on Sunday.
Mr. Payne had worked with the Open Bretheren Mission in Spain from 1869, and he returned from that country at the outbreak of the Civil War in July, 1935.
Mr. Payne was associated in this work with his second son, Mr. Samuel Payne, who died in August, 1936, after a ministry of over 40 years in that country. In 1909, father and son were at Barcelona, where they were engaged in the publication of the periodical "El Evangelista."
The funeral took place yesterday at Braunton Parish Church, after a service at the Gospel Hall, conducted by Mr. Sydney Turrall, of Birmingham, an ex-mission in Spain, who paid a tribute to the life work of the deceased. He was assisted by Mr. Lewis (Bath). The hymns, "The sands of time are sinking" and "When we reach our peaceful dwelling," with Mrs. G. Pitt at the organ, and at the graveside "O my Saviour crucified." Mourners present were Mr. and Mrs. E. Payne (Sheffield), son and daughter-in-law; Mr. Ben Payne (Buxton), son; Miss Rachel Payne and Miss Esther Payne, daughters; Mrs. Richards (Ilfracombe) and two sons, grand-daughter and great-grandsons; Miss Rachael Chesterman (Bath), niece; Mr. S. Bedford, Miss A. Bedford, Mr. and Mrs. E. Burge, Mr. and Mrs. A. Burge, Mr. and Mrs. F. Burge, and Mr. and Mrs. F. Lemon, cousins.
General sympathisers included: Messrs. L. Webber, R. Chilcott, H. Jones, Woolacott, R. W. and J. Chilcott, A. Frayne (Barnstaple), F. W. Gillard, Shapland (Barnstaple), H. Lerwill (Barnstaple), G. Pearce (Barnstaple), D. Tyroll, Redaway, Ford, Mesdames Avery, Easterbrook, Chugg, Thomas, F. Gillard, Richards, Davis, Singledon, Perkins, J. Turner (Barnstaple), Charles E. Franck (Torquay), M. J. Phelps (Spain), Misses Stock, Buckland, Clement, K. Guard, L. Brown, Bridman, Lee, Daton, Mr. and Mrs. G. Gammon (Ilfracombe), Mr. and Mrs. Pitt, Mr. and Mrs. P. Frayne, Mr. and Mrs. P. Verney (Westdown). - The bearers were Messrs. J., W., R., S., H., and Richard Bedford.
Floral tokens were:- In affectionate remembrance, from his sons and daughters; In loving memory, from Jannie and May.
Mr. Harry Payne (son) was unable to attend through illness, and Mr. and Mrs. Harvey (son-in-law and daughter) are still in Spain.
The funeral arrangements were carried out by Mr. A. Gould, Braunton.

His gravestone reads:

In loving memory of HENRY PAYNE of Barcelone, Spain
who departed to be with Christ March 5 1938 aged 96 years.
"Cristo Jesus vino al mundo para salvar a los pecadores"
With Christ which is far better.

Subject: Robert and Rachel Payne. From: Helen (nee Payne) 4/11/2005

May I join the list of those congratulating the village on having such a brilliant website - especially the 'Family Ties' pages.
I am another descendant of John and Elizabeth Payne, related to their son William Payne who moved away from High Bickington. If anyone would like to know about him, I'd be delighted to share my findings.
I found John and Elizabeth's names in your burial records but I assume their gravestones are now either illegible or non-existent?
Kind regards - and hope to hear from someone!
Helen (nee Payne)

Subject: Robert and Rachel Payne. From: Webmaster 13/11/2005

Hi Helen
Unfortunately you are right in your assumption that the gravestones of John and Elizabeth no longer exist, if they ever did at all! Unlike our more affluent society today, many people in the past would have been burried in graves marked only by simple wooden markers or something similar as to afford a head stone was often beyond most peoples reach. Many of the people listed in our burial register do not have any surviving markers to say where they were burried and as yet we have not had any luck finding written records to say in what part of the churchyard they were burried. The only surviving gravestone for the Payne family is that of Rachel Payne which still stands in the old churchyard at North Road Chapel, now the 'Meeting Point'.

Subject: Robert and Rachel Payne. From: Bunty MacLennan 5/04/2011

Dear Margaret,
I have just returned from Barcelona Spain with my husband, where we visited the Brethren Assembly my great grandfather Henry Payne founded in 1870.We were very warmly welcomed and given a book on the history of the church ( in Spanish ) which included 2 photos of my great grandfather and 2 of my grandfather.The 2 Henry Paynes worked together until the junior with his family went over to north west Spain ( La Coruna ) and worked as a missionary there until returning to England to be superintendant of the Scottish Bible Society in 1936. Your page has been very informative so thank you

Greetings,
Bunty MacLennan [ Winifred ]

Subject: Carr family. From: Bill Owen - Australia

message - 7/11/2002 - I recently visited High Bickington in search of the graves of my uncle and Grandmother prior to discovering this site. I could not find the grave as the headstone had disappeared. According to your grave list it was site 448. John Carr, however I note from your grave list that my Grandmother is not listed, her name being Caroline Carr. I know she was defintely buried there. Can someone please advise me as to what happened to the headstone and why my Grandmother is not listed. I now live in Australia.
Thanking you in anticipation.
Bill Owen

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Subject: Carr Family. From: Webmaster

Bill,
Nice to hear from you. Am wondering if you have got the John Richard Carr mentioned as grave 448 on our site, mixed up with his father, Jonathan Carr who is mentioned on the gravestone as being John's father and Caroline's husband? The only gravestone we found for the Carr's was this one for the two son's of Jonathan and Caroline Carr, John Richard who died 5th February 1951 aged 47 and George Wynfield who died on active service in Hong Kong at Christmas in 1941 aged 28. We haven't yet transcribed the actual burial records for the parish other than the few already on site dating from the early years of the 19th century and ther are no Carr's mentioned in these. We hope to add gravestone listings from other surrounding parishes in the near future as some family members may have moved from High Bickington to neighbouring parishes, such as Atherington, Burrington, Yarnscombe etc. Is it possible Jonathan and Caroline moved from the village to one of these parishes? If not then it is likely they may not have made provision in their wills to have gravestones erected, there are a few unmarked graves in this area of the churchyard. Another possibility is that some gravestones have sunk or been partially burried at their bases which has obscured additional engravings on the stones making them impossible to read. Will check to see if this was the case with your family's stone and let you know if we have any luck finding any more information.
I can confirm the gravestone mentioned in our list is still in its rightful place and will get a picture of it to you shortly for your records.
Hope this is of use?
Regards, Webmaster

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